England Athletics indoor championships are back! 18-19 January preview

Another season of England Athletics championship action gets under way at the EIS in Sheffield with the focus on senior and junior combined events, plus para and race walk events.

Sammy Ball (Reading AC, Rafer Joseph) and Abigail Pawlett (Trafford/Loughborough, Ashley Bryant) head the combined events stars lining up, while walker Cameron Corbishley (Medway & Maidstone, Andi Drake) and para athlete Madeline Down (Halesowen, Mike Bennett) are also among the headliners.

The programme on Sunday includes British Milers' Club races, in which Innes Fitzgerald (Exeter) and Isabelle Boffey (Enfield & Haringey, Luke Gunn) are two of the top names due to be competing. Vinco will be streaming the BMC races and walks.

Senior men's heptathlon

Sammy Ball (Rafer Joseph, Reading) looks to get his season off to a flyer after his superb 2024. In a summer in which he won the England senior decathlon title outdoors in his first season as an under-23, he also scored 7913 to go to second on the UK senior rankings for the year. This will be the first senior heptathlon for the national under-20 decathlon record-holder.

Lewis Church (Tonbridge, David Hull), who has been runner-up the past two years, looks to return to regain the title he won in 2021. He heads the roster on PBs with 5706. Scotland’s Adam Hoole, a multiple medallist at England Athletics combined events championships, is next best with 5582.

Caius Joseph (Rafer Joseph, Basingstoke & Mid Hants), Liam Reveley (Liane Brown, Jarrow & Hebburn) and Scotland’s Callum Newby are among the other leading contenders. Conrad Winter (City of Norwich), the under-20 gold medallist last year, steps up an age group.

Senior women's pentathlon

World Athletics Indoor Championships representative Abigail Pawlett (Ashley Bryant, Trafford) seeks to retain her title. Her score of 4315 was enough to give her victory by more than 200 points last year before she improved to 4419 in Tallinn to rank eighth on the UK all-time list. Altogether, she has 14 England Athletics titles to her name, including six in combined events.

Ireland’s Anna McCauley (Sheffield & Dearne, John Lane), who was second last year with her PB of 4119, returns. Hoping to improve on her third from last year is Wales’ Lauren Evans (Cardiff, Mike Guest), who was also second in the England heptathlon outdoors.

2022 England pentathlon champion Jo Rowland (Crawley), who scored 4291 in 2018, is a regular in these championships making another return. Others in the running include Jordanna Morrish (Rafer Joseph, Basingstoke & Mid Hants), Bryony Bovell (Ashley Bryant, Harrow) and Emily Tyrell (Franci Baker, Exeter).

Under-20 men's pentathlon

Ruben Stovell (John Lane, Sheffield & Dearne) won both decathlon and heptathlon at under-17 level in England Athletics championships last year and will be among the favourites here.

Another to look out for is Sam Wright (Simon Hemmings, Chelmsford), who won the under-17 title two years ago and was sixth 12 months ago with 4717. Also stepping up an age group is Luke Pichler (Rob Wilson, Blyth), the under-15 winner three years ago. Also in contention could be William Alexander (Michael Dyer, Reading), who scored 4738 as recently as December, and Reef Page (Lewis Church, Tonbridge), who was ninth last year with 4587.

Under-20 women's pentathlon

Thea Brown (Joanna Harding, Sale) took the title last year in her first competition as an under-20 with a great score of 3998. After having gone on to win silver at the European Athletics Under-18 Championships, she is back to try to regain her title.

Ava John (Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow), who was runner-up 12 months ago, later improved to 3845 so is clearly also a contender. Ruby Tillson (Mark Bishop, Havering), who won the English Schools heptathlon title last year with 5128 to rank second in the UK behind Brown, is another to watch out for.

Also looking for a medal will be: last year’s England under-20 heptathlon silver medallist, Matilda Secker (Mark Ormerod, Tonbridge); Esme Pounder (Sam Stanislaus, City of York), who was sixth in the England heptathlon last year; Kira Jones (Kendal), who was eighth here last year and Millie Hardy (Mike Corden, Hallamshire), who won silver in these championships as an under-17.

Walks

Cameron Corbishley (Andi Drake, Medway & Maidstone), who represented Britain at the 2019 World Championships over 50km and is third best in the UK all-time at this distance outdoors, tops the 3000m entries.

Wales’ Gracie Griffiths, the UK under-20 outdoor 5000m champion, who led the UK rankings last year, steps down to the 3000m here and will meet England outdoor champion Hannah Hopper (Noel Carmody, Cambridge H). Under-17 Leah O’Gara of Ireland, who walked 25:45 for 5km last month to rank 21st on the European U18 list, is another competing.

Para

T38/F38 athlete Madeline Down (Mike Bennett; Halesowen), still an under-20, will compete in the long jump, in which she was sixth at the Paralympic Games last summer. The athlete who was also eighth in Paris over 100m, will also race the 60m, where she will meet Ireland’s Lana Sutton, who beat her here 12 months ago.

T20 athlete Joel Mattacks (Joseph McDonnell, Team Bath) is quickest of the men’s 60m entries. He will also compete in the long jump, in which he was seventh in the Virtus Open European Athletics Championships.

Follow along

• Follow the action on the Roster Athletics platform and app.
• We will be sharing updates on Instagram and X.
• Get your free ticket to watch live: register online beforehand or register in Sheffield on the day.
• Vinco will be streaming the BMC races and the Walks, but not the track and field championships.